Not so good certification.

[TMHeimer]

I recently dived the Intracoastal Waterway near Ft. Walton Beach over on the panhandle. One could get certified there in 24'. But not a great place. If you're talking Louisiana, even L. Pontchartrain would be deeper-I even got to 7'--another wonderful dive. 7' wont fit the bill either though. But even that's better than the Back Bay of Biloxi. Lots of great mud in 9' plus a nail in my foot walking in to boot (no pun intended).

 

[CamG]

Sad to say but there is a lot more of this than what I even want to admit.
Why? It is just so ridiculous to me!
Agencies can not police their ranks fast enough nor can you caution prospective divers enough!
I always recommend to check references.
This is a sad story but as NetDoc shared there are those out there trying to head some of these new divers off and retrain them.
Most just have a bad experience and quit!

You get what you pay for!
Sometimes the correct question is to find the RIGHT instructor for the prospective diver then worry about the cost.
What I have found is that the instruction is not a huge money game but the gear rental / sales, trips, the real target for LDS's.
Why not they need to stay in business but sub par instruction is not the answer only the curse that will lead to destruction!

I try to encourage students to choose instructors who they respect and do not sell cards but are reputed to be tough and adhere to skill mastery.
Demanding excellence and going the extra mile to see others achieve it is rewarding and very challenging.
It often takes longer but the end result is a fully equipped diver who understands the basic skill set and how to reach, maintain mastery.
Divers of this caliber / quality know the difference between mastery and minimum skill requirements.

In our world of group on and the like we have a tidal wave of minimum skilled divers at best churning the waters.
At best we will keep 50% of them past the first dive trip.
25% of the 50 will seek more instruction the rest will continue to wallow in their sub-par skills endangering themselves and others.
I am sorry if I offended anyone not my purpose but if you are offended then consider what I said.
If it strikes home then I offer to help you any way I can to help you seek out help.
Pm me or one of the others here on the board to get some help.

I try to assist new divers through mentorship type of diving and when it comes to seeking training set them up with quality instructors who care about the person not just the cash!
Scuba training was never intended to be SMASH AND GRAB style training!
Do not settle for less always demand more and PAY FOR IT!

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

 

[SailNaked]

in IT we say "pay me now or pay me later" pay for good instruction or pay the consequenses of bad instruction.

 

[The Chairman]

in IT we say "pay me now or pay me later"

Shenanigans

It's more like Pay me now AND pay me later!

 

[SeaCobra]

The sad part is that someone who gets a shortcut on classes probably won't find diving as enjoyable as someone who gets proper training and has equipment that they trust and that fits well. Shortcutting training just drives divers away from diving and into golf, riding 4 wheelers, and all of the other things that drive us to distraction. It was a lesson I learned only too well when I operated in the Flower Gardens. Flower Gardens diving is not for the faint of heart, and it isn't for brand newbies. Dive shops would send their brand new OW graduates to the Flower Gardens on my boat, where the seas could be 6 feet, or 2 feet when you get in and 11 when you get out, and I had more than one guest sell their scuba gear on the boat because they weren't ever diving again.

Operators driving people from the sport is one of the biggest downfalls of the industry. Piss poor instructors who don't really give a damn is also high on that list.

Amen brother!

 

[supergaijin]

Operators driving people from the sport is one of the biggest downfalls of the industry. Piss poor instructors who don't really give a damn is also high on that list.

I believe the Operator is the real reason- they have gotten themselves in to a price war that ultimately kills them as a business- and potentially their customers as well. The individual instructor is just 'doing the job' as outlined by the operator.

I have had the displeasure for working for a few shops where I couldn't teach effectively because of constraints placed upon me by the Operator. Those constraints were usually/always? money driven, as a result of trying to compete with the shop next door, which was competing with the shop next door, which was competing...

 

[buddhasummer]

Awesome, so he got his cert on the cheap but how safe a diver is he and just as important how safe a buddy is he? Diving instruction is not a place to cut corners. Without sounding too dramatic a funeral is more expensive than the most expensive dive course. Any instructor who runs such a course should not be an instructor. When I did my DM course I did not look for the cheapest option I looked for the best instructor, mine was very tough but consequently I actually learnt something and when I finally passed I knew I truly deserved it. I earn't it I didn't buy it.

 

[Diver0001]

Well, it happened at a boat launch in the intracoastal waterway. With boats trying to launch. In 0 visibility. In no more than 6' of water. And barge traffic.
I don't know what agency it was but at least he is certified.

LOL well compared to that little baptism by fire normal diving should seem easy by comparison.

I don't know about other agencies but in the PADI system you're meant to do a minimum of 4 checkout dives over at least 2 days. At least one of the skills MUST be done at 6m or deeper and IIRC they recommend evaluating all skills during check outs at 5m or deeper.

It also sounds to me like this dive was done in a location that I would expect to be off limits for diving. Just a guess here but I'm thinking the operator must have been called "Duck Dynasty Diving" or something to that effect.

R..

---------- Post added March 12th, 2013 at 08:12 AM ----------

I believe the Operator is the real reason- they have gotten themselves in to a price war that ultimately kills them as a business- and potentially their customers as well. The individual instructor is just 'doing the job' as outlined by the operator.

I wouldn't be too quick to exonerate individual instructors for unethical actions. No matter what the operator asks, standards are to be followed! Period!

I personally know what it's like to be asked by an operator to do things, especially in the OW, that aren't safe. In my case the whole conversation went more or less like this:

them: we changed the protocol for the OW course and how you have to do it like this....
me: if you do that, there is no question of whether or not an accident will happen, only a question of WHEN...
them: You'll adjust and we have insurance
me: I quit

Instructors always have the last word in this kind of conversation. This year I'll probably have more fun training than I've had in years because of making that move. My point is that more instructors need to grow a pair and set limits on what they'll accept from operators.

R..

 

[tstormdiver]

"Good training isn't expensive: It's priceless."

That honestly could not be said any better.

I found out, later that my initial training left much to be desired,... only got the bare minimum of standards. Not because of wanting to be cheap, but simply I didn't know any better & was basically brain washed into thinking that was the only way. I went with the first instructor I found, not realizing the differences in instructor quality. Only when I later got under another instructor who cared about quality, did I really find out how much my training was lacking & what quality instruction was. I now am an instructor for this Instructor Trainer & have resolved to teach my students the way I wish I would have been taught. He is demanding about quality & safety, but he also treats us as professionals & trusted staff members. Who could ask for more?

 

[SailNaked]

Shenanigans

It's more like Pay me now AND pay me later!

Buddy you are the victim of crappy IT support. A good tech should do it right one time and be done. sort of like a good dive instructor, no need to have refreshers or return visits.